Can opener with sliding base



Jan. 8, 1957 R. A. WITHERS 2,776,477

CAN OPENER WITH SLIDING BASE Filed Dec. 23. 1955 2 She ets-Sheet 1 IINVENTOR. Raymond A. IW/zers L .M Af/j 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 8, 1957 R.A. WITHERS CAN OPENER WITH SLIDING BASE Filed Dec. 25; 1955 I I C ,4 B 0Fig 6 INVENTOR. Raymond/1. Wfilrers United States Patent CAN OPENER WITHSLIDING BASE Raymond A. Withers, Belmont, Calif.

Application December 23, 1955, Serial No. 555,044

1 Claim. (Cl. 3010) This invention relates to improvements in canopeners and has particular reference to a can opener which will servefor the opening of any style of can, irrespective of its size.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a can openerwherein a sliding base permits the can support to be moved toward oraway from the punching elements so as to accommodate cans of varioussizes.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which iseconomical tomanufacture, easy to install and one having a minimumnumber of parts.

A still further object is to produce a device of this character whichwill take up a minimum amount of space when secured to the supportingstructure.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Fig. l is a side elevation of my improved can opener;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the can support having a portion thereofbroken away;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a can having a hole punched therein; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the supporting bar before being bent.

Ordinary can openers, particularly the punching type, will accommodateonly a given size can. Applicant has therefore devised a can openerwhich is adjustable for small cans, medium size cans, or large cans andhas produced a can opener which will automatically position the cansupport with relation to the height of the can, after which the punchingelement will form an opening in the can, together with a pouring spout.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates aU-shaped bar which is provided with V cuts 6 and 7 and with V cuts 8 and9. The result of this construction is that when portions A and B arefolded, a right-angled bend will be formed in the bar and then the endsC and D are further bent at right angles to form end portions in paral-2,776,477 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 ice lel alignment with the face of thebar when in supporting position.

The portions C and D are punched as well as aligned with said bar sothat supporting screws 11 and 12 may extend therethrough to support thebar as a whole from a supporting structure such as a wall.

Secured to the top of the bar by the screw 12 is a bracket 13 to whichis pivoted as at 14 a handle 16 having a punching element 17. It will benoted that the bracket 13 has two cut-away portions 18 and 19 for thereception of the top beaded portion of a can, such as shown at 21 inFig. 5.

Referring now to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the base member 22 ispivoted as at 23 to a slider 24 mounted on the bar 5 and having a pairof pinch pins 26 and 27 and a spring-pressed detent 28, which detent isbest shown in Fig. 3.

In use the support 22 is moved to a horizontal position, a can is placedthereon and the same moved upwardly until it comes in contact with oneof the cut-away portions 18 or 19, after which the weight of the can onthe support 22 will cant the same downwardly, causing the pinch pins 26and 27 to tightly engage the bar 5, and to hold the can and the supportin adjusted position.

The handle 16 is now moved from a vertical position to the position ofFig. 1 and the punching element 17 will cut through the top of the canand cause an opening 29 therein and a pouring spout 31.

As soon as the can is removed, the spring detent 28 will push outwardly,thus releasing the pinching action and the support 22 will drop to itslowermost position ready for the next can to be placed thereon.

It will thus be seen that I have accomplished all of the objects aboveset forth. It is to be understood that the form of my invention shownand described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A can opener having a U-shaped bar, the end portion of said bar beingbent at right angles to form a U-shaped supporting member, a pivotedpunching element secured to said supporting member at a point adjacentits upper end, a sliding can support mounted on said supporting member,means for locking said can support on said supporting member, said meanscomprising a pair of pinch pins engaging opposite sides of saidsupporting member, and spring releasing means carried by said slidingsupport for releasing said sliding support when the load is removedtherefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,540,541 Myers Feb. 6, 1951 2,663,077 Fortune et a1. Dec. 22, 19532,712,177 Bauer July 5, 1955 2,722,737 Withers Nov. 8, 1955

